Superior
by noelswonderland
Summary: It's not about the amount of time you have, but what you make of that time that really matters. Kagami x OC
1. One

**Author's Note:** This story basically takes place shortly after the start of the anime/manga. Largely written for a friend from tumblr (and per request of some people who wanted me to write a Kagami x OC story). Hope you enjoy! Also hoping nothing seems out of character, rewatching the anime for the umpteenth time as we speak to smooth out any inconsistencies.

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**Chapter One**

"The girl's basketball club... isn't really accepting new members. Anyways, your doctor already contacted the school and there has been a restriction on your physical activity. Maybe you should think about joining—"

"I could be their manager," she suggested. "Or assistant manager – anything. I don't really mind. I just want to be able to watch the team play."

Sweat was pouring down the teacher's forehead as he leaned back in his seat, fanning himself furiously. He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, there really isn't anything I can do. You are more than welcome to watch them practice but there are no openings. You really should think about—"

"I see, thank you." Without missing a beat, she cut in through his speech and delivered her answer. There was a gentle smile on her lips as she turned on her heel and marched right back out of the teacher's office. In the silence, only the echo of her footsteps could be heard as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Out in the hallway, she paused to stare down at the floor. The smile faded away. But just as quickly she seemed to regain her sense of equilibrium and started toward the main entrance of the building. School was over for the day, and she had lingered at her teacher's request.

_"It would be good for you to get involved in a club activity,"_ he had said. _"You can make some friends that way. Since you got a late start in school, you might find it hard relating to your classmates."_ He hadn't been... wrong about that much.

A month was easily enough time for other people to come together and form cliques in her absence. Since her parents had moved, no one from her old middle school would be attending this high school. She was most certainly _alone._

After switching shoes, she slipped outside, her book bag dangling from her grasp as she started for the front gate. But then she noticed the gym – the doors wide open and no noise coming from inside. Had all the clubs gone home already? It seemed unlikely, but on the off-chance that they had...

When she ducked in, she was surprised to find it deserted. A lone basketball sat in the middle of the floor. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she was dreaming.

Dropping her bag to the ground, she approached the ball, stooping down to scoop it up in her hands. It was surprisingly larger than she might have expected. It was not the first time she had held one, and it stirred some nostalgia as she turned toward the hoop. From this distance, it wouldn't be impossible to make a basket. Just as she shifted the ball in her hands, she heard a booming voice from behind her.

"You won't make the shot like that."

It startled her and almost instinctively, she released her grasp on the ball. It rolled to the side, conveniently bouncing against the shoes of a man nearly twice her height. His hair was a vibrant red with a dark underlayer. Although his most discerning characteristic was undoubtedly those bushy eyebrows, angled down to give the impression of a scowl. The intimidating parts of him belied the cheeky grin he offered as he leaned down to retrieve the ball.

After staring at him quizzically for several moments, she found her voice. "You must be from the basketball team."

"Yep. The rest of the team is still in the locker room but they'll be out in a minute. What are you hangin' out in the gym for?" His head cocked to the side, leaning the basketball against the side of his body as he addressed her.

"You're really tall."

"Eh?"

Her expression brightened. "Can you dunk?"

Rather than respond verbally, he shifted his weight, taking the ball in one hand. His footsteps, beating against the wooden floor, echoed as he made a running approach to the hoop. Leaping through the air, he almost looked like he was flying – _no_, he definitely looked like he was flying. Her jaw dropped in amazement as he sailed right to the rim, plunging the ball straight through the net without any resistance or difficulty. And when he came crashing back to the ground, he peered over his shoulder with a triumphant grin.

"Hey, Kagami!"

He got only a brief glimpse of her before turning his gaze back to see Hyuuga and the rest of the Seirin team spilling out of the locker room. "Yo," he greeted in response. Riko had been talking to each one of them separately about the new training regimen she was developing – which was the only reason why he had made it out before the rest of them.

"What are you messing around for?"

"I wasn't messing around," he grumbled back. "I was just showing..." His voice trailed off as he turned his head back, only to find the spot that the girl had previously been occupying to be empty now. He swung his head, gaze sweeping across the gym – but it seemed as though she had disappeared altogether.

"Did you see a ghost?" Kuroko piped up from beside him, having characteristically appeared out of _nowhere._

"I don't want to hear that nonsense from you," he joked back in thick voice, roughly ruffling his teammate's hair. "Let's get practicin'."

—

"I actually met someone today taller than you."

_"Oh?"_

"Yeah," she gushed, sitting down in front of her vanity. The phone was cradled against her shoulder, pressed against her left ear as her hands worked through her shoulder-length mahogany hair. Her eyes barely focused on the reflection in the mirror. She was too busy recounting the tale.

_"So you watched them play?"_

"Oh." Her voice halted at that question. No – she hadn't watched, had been too nervous the moment they all started spilling out into the gym. She had high-tailed it out of there in that moment, hastily snatching her bag as she raced for the gates. "Not exactly..."

_"Hey, Yuki. Tomorrow, after school, I was thinking I should come visit you."_

"Really?" Her voice raised an octave, revealing her excitement. "Wait, Jun-chan, are you just coming here because you want to spy on my school's team? That seems pretty underhanded."

_"Heh, nothing wrong with sizing up the competition, right? Anyways, there's no guarantee that my team will even come up against theirs. So don't worry about it. I just want to see my best friend. It's been kind of lonely here since you moved away, you know."_

"I know," Yuki replied thoughtfully. "How are things going at your school?"

There was breathy sigh on the other end. _"About as well as one can expect being second string. But don't worry. I _will_ move up by the time Interhigh rolls around. I'm not going to be a bench warmer forever, you know."_

"Yeah, because... you have someone you need to beat." Yuki smiled against the phone as she set the brush aside, peering up into the mirror. Stony gray eyes stared back from the reflection. "I'm always cheering for you, Jun-chan. We made a promise, after all."

_"Yeah. I won't... lose to him."_

The other end went quiet and Yuki took that as her cue. A brief glance at the alarm clock sitting beside her bed was telling enough. A yawn escaped her lips. "Well, I should be getting to bed then. Wait for me by the school gates tomorrow, okay? I'll come get you there and we can go to the gym together."

_"Right."_

—

Yuki was startled by how unaware she had been of her surroundings in the first month – that she had never noticed that head of crimson hair sticking out from the corner of the room. He was a whole head taller than most of the other guys in class, maybe even more. A tremor of fear ran through her body. Would he recognize her and try to talk to her?

Fortunately, she sat at the complete other end of the room, the furthest possible seat from him. And he did not even turn his head to glance in her direction as she entered – no, his gaze was turned to the window. He seemed to be watching something outside with a ghost of a smile on his face.

Her heart was beating furiously as she settled into her desk, moments before the bell rang. _What is his name?_ She wondered, gaze occasionally wandering to the far corner of the classroom. He stuck out more than she did. _And her hair was certainly odd._ Though perhaps no stranger than the boy sitting a couple seats farther back, his hair the same shade as the cloudless sky.

The day seemed to stretch on endlessly, and even though she spent lunch in the classroom – eating her homemade bento alone – every second was spent in painstaking anticipation. She could scarcely tamp down her excitement, thinking about seeing Jun again. The two had been apart for four months now, ever since her parents moved. Her subsequent admittance into the hospital kept their contact limited as well.

So the moment the bell rang, she was scrambling to throw everything into her school bag before hightailing it out of the classroom. In her haste, reaching for the door, she was somewhat shocked when her hand bumped against someone else's – much larger than hers.

"Ah," the person beside her remarked in surprise.

Yuki was mildly shocked to see the man from yesterday.

"...you're the one from yesterday, right?" He said, his brows furrowing as though he was struggling to recall.

A smile teased at the edges of her lips and she gave a short nod. "My name is Yuki." There was a momentary look of confusion on his face and she was quick to add, "Um my last name is... hard to pronounce in Japanese. So you can just call me Yuki."

"Hm. You do look like a foreigner," he acknowledged with a nod.

"You're from overseas?" Another, unfamiliar voice remarked from beside the larger man.

Yuki nearly jumped in surprise as her gaze lowered to the blue-haired boy who was staring back at her. She smiled awkwardly and looked away. "Uh, yeah... my parents moved over here when I was really young."

"Where from?"

"You haven't introduced yourself," the blue-haired boy reminded.

"Oh, right... I'm Kagami, Kagami Taiga. This guy is Kuroko Tetsuya." He rested a heavy hand against his companion's head. And while a momentary look of displeasure crossed Kuroko's face, he kept his lips pursed. "So where are you from?"

"The States."

"Really?" he remarked, surprised.

"Kagami-san just came back from there," Kuroko supplied, batting the taller man's hand away.

Before the conversation could go any further, she cut them off. "It was nice meeting the both of you. I have someone waiting for me, so I have to get going." Giving a short bow of the head as an apology, she reached for the door and wriggled past the two. She jogged down the hallway, earning a reprimand from a passing teacher – which she ignored.

By the time she reached the gate, she spotted a tall, statuesque figure waiting for her. Grinning from ear to ear, she approached – breathless from her running. And she had to pause, hands on her knees, to catch her breath by the time she reached them. "You... didn't... wait... too long... did you?" she rasped, speaking between breaths.

"You didn't have to hurry like that. I cut school early so I could be here when you got out." The person standing in front of her gave every appearance of being male – a flat chest, gangly limbs and broad shoulders. Their hair was as dark as night, cut short and set in loose ringlets that fell just above the ears. But the voice – the voice wasn't deep enough to be masculine and the lack of an Adam's apple would have been suspicious to any stranger.

"I was really excited to see you again, Jun-chan!" Not showing any restraint, Yuki flung herself at the other body.

A breathy sigh sounded from above her as a large hand gently patted her back. "If you cling to me like that, you'll give them the wrong idea. They'll think I'm your boyfriend."

"I wouldn't mind having a boyfriend like you."

"Don't be silly," Jun responded with a laugh. "You don't swing that way." It was when Jun smiled that it was unmistakeable. Despite the male uniform and the androgynous appearance, Jun was definitely a girl. Although she scarcely considered herself one.

"I said a boyfriend like you," Yuki reminded sourly, extracting herself.

Those dark eyes stared down at her with affection, and Jun ruffled her hair. "I was worried you would be really pale, that you would have lost a lot of weight in the hospital. I'm glad you're just like you've always been. Lively as ever."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she protested.

"Nothing. Now how about that basketball team of yours?"

In the time they had wasted chatting at the main entrance, surely the basketball team had already made their way to the gym. Motioning Jun to follow, Yuki headed in that direction. "By the way, aren't you missing your own team's practice by coming here?"

"I'm sure I'll get an earful when I get back, but it's okay. If I learn something then it was worth the trip."

"You make it sound like you didn't even come to see me..."

"I _am_ here to see you. I wouldn't come if not for you. But..." Jun trailed off as they neared the gym. It took a moment before she continued, and when she did, the words were whispered. "Beating Akashi is also very important to me."


	2. Two

**Author's Note:** More will be explained about Jun, albeit it briefly, in the following chapter(s). She's crossdressing for a specific reason which is hinted at, though she's fairly androgynous in appearance to begin with.

Also, this story is the _prequel_ to a much longer series that I will start posting once this one is completed.

Thank you all for the lovely reviews and I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter Two**

"Um... do you mind if I sit with you?" It was really rather awkward to ask, but considering all the other seats were occupied, it left her with little other choice. She scanned the table, looking for the familiar head of blue hair – it was strangely absent.

"Yeah, sure," Kagami answered gruffly. He was quite preoccupied digging into his burger, not the least bit bothered by her presence.

As she settled into the seat across from him, she quickly noticed just how _many_ burgers he had stacked on his tray. Yuki regarded him quizzically. "Can you really eat all that?" She supposed it wasn't her place to say anything. He was shoveling them in one-by-one without her concern, and with no apparent intent in stopping.

"Hm? Yeah..."

He seemed less energetic than the last time she had talked to him. Maybe he was just preoccupied. Or maybe he simply wasn't interested in making conversation with her. Even though Yuki felt as though she was grasping at straws for something to talk about, she tried, "So where is Kuroko?"

His brows rose a fraction, as though surprised. Maybe he wasn't used to people noticing Kuroko's absence, since the shorter man was practically a phantom to begin with. Always there one moment and then gone the next. "I don't know," he admitted reluctantly, his response almost hostile.

"Maybe he's training by himself?" she offered. "Oh—actually, I heard you guys beat Kaijou in a practice match. Congratulations."

Finally a grin cracked on his lips. "Yeah, we did. How'd you hear about it?"

"My friend plays in Shutoku's basketball team. Well, she—he is only in the second string, so it's not like he plays often. But he heard about it and told me." She had to correct herself quickly, and even after she was nervously smiling, hoping Kagami wouldn't catch the strange switch in pronouns.

As though he hadn't even noticed it, Kagami only gave a thoughtful nod as he started on another hamburger. It seemed that he had already cleared through half of his tray. He was going through them fairly quickly.

"That all you got? Not gonna eat?" he asked suddenly. And before she could respond, he was holding out one of his burgers. "Here."

The fact that he had noticed she was only idly sipping away at a shake was surprising. Yuki found herself smiling as she accepted it, touched by the gesture. Although surely it had no more meaning to him than feeling pity – or maybe he was just being polite. Either way, she felt her pulse quicken in the moment that her fingers brushed against his.

Kagami, on the other hand, didn't seem to bat an eyelash even as he retracted his hand. His gaze wandered out the window. It was obvious that conversing with her didn't hold much interest for him, even though she was trying to engage him with talk about basketball.

"Interhigh is coming up soon. That's really exciting, right? I hope you guys will make it to the finals."

At this, she seemed to elicit some measure of intrigue, because his eyes were gazing at her again. "You really like basketball?" His voice was tinged with surprise.

"I do. My best friend plays it, after all. And my other friend... he... also plays it." There was a hesitancy in her voice to admit the last part, though she was fairly certain that Kagami was unfamiliar with who she was referring to. "We all went to Teikou together."

He paused mid-bite and suddenly swallowed hard, struggling to choke back his surprise. "Teikou?" he remarked. "Kuroko also went there—wait. Is your friend..."

"Did he?" Yuki also seemed similarly shocked. "I don't remember ever meeting Kuroko. But I spent a lot of my last year there in the hospital so maybe that's why..."

That tidbit of information seemed to completely shred Kagami's curiosity, or at the very least it destroyed any intention he had of pressing her for information. He was silent for a moment before he returned to eating, averting his eyes out the window. It seemed he had no intention to finish his sentence, which she had interrupted in her haste to explain.

"Was my friend what, Kagami-san?"

"He was on the basketball team at Teikou?" At her prompting, the words easily came out. _One of the Generation of Miracles? _That was the true unspoken question.

"No, he was on the track team at the time." _The women's track team._ Although Yuki wasn't about to mention that part. At the same time, she omitted the part that her _other_ friend actually had been on Teikou's team. _Had been the captain,_ she corrected herself.

As though dejected by this, Kagami sank back in his seat and returned to tearing through the last few burgers that remained. Finally, although he had shown little interest in their conversation previously, he finally piped up, "What state?"

"Huh?"

"What state are you from?"

"Oh.. from the southeast."

He studied her face. "You don't have an accent."

"No, I've lived in Japan almost my whole life. My parents moved here soon after I was born. But they gave me a western name. I think they originally intended to return but I guess things just haven't worked out." She offered a weak smile. "Since no one over here could pronounce it right, though, I've always gone by Yuki."

"Ah." He had finished up the last of his burgers, much to her amazement. Yet despite that, he lingered – which she quickly realized, by the way his gaze directed toward the untouched hamburger in front of her, was because she had yet to eat.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly, unwrapping it and taking a bite. "Don't feel like you have to wait for me. You probably want to get to practice. You want to be 'number one in Japan,' right?"

Perhaps she had expected him to be shocked that she knew that, but instead she received another of those cheeky grins. "Yeah, I'll definitely be number one," he said with conviction as he stood up. "See ya!" With a backward wave, he started out the door.

—

_"You've been talking about that basketball idiot quite a bit."_

"He's not an idiot," Yuki muttered under her breath in assent. "He's just very dedicated. Even you can understand that. You two kind of have similar goals, you know? You want to beat Akashi and he wants to beat—"

_"The entire generation of miracles,"_ Jun finished for her, sounding unimpressed. _"Except unlike him, I have seen them play firsthand. Heck, I'm berated by one of them every day because I don't 'practice enough,' and I 'need to work on my shooting.' I have a good idea what I'm up against."_

There was little point in arguing – Jun would not see it any other way. "Well, I look forward to Interhigh. I hope that they manage to make it through the preliminary matches so that they can go up against Shutoku. I think you'll have a lot of fun, if you get to play them, Jun-chan."

_"Maybe."_ She definitely sounded skeptical. _"Do you like him?"_

"W-What?" Yuki sputtered in surprise, just as she had been taking a drink of water.

Jun waited for her friend's choking to cease before she responded. _"It seems like you like him. You must watch him a lot to know as much about him as you do. Do you like him?"_ It was an... odd question to ask, in Jun's case. The two of them, albeit as close as best friends could possibly be, had never discussed love. It seemed odd, given that Yuki herself was a girl and Jun was biologically a girl, as well.

"I don't... dislike him," she allowed at last.

_"So you do like him,"_ Jun deduced. _"Are you planning to confess?"_

Yuki set her glass of water aside and crawled up onto her mattress, burrowing under the covers as she kept her phone close to her ear. She took a moment to contemplate the question before delivering her answer. "No, there's nothing to confess right now. And... it's better if I don't get too close to him."

_"Don't talk like that."_

"Sorry, I know you don't like..." Yuki swallowed hard, staring up at the ceiling.

_"If you like him, tell him. And I'll beat the crap outta him if he rejects you, which he won't. No one ever would. You're a wonderful person, Yuki. I bet he'd be flying high as a kite if you told him."_ That was an exaggeration, especially in the case of Kagami – Jun just didn't know him well enough. All he thought about was basketball.

Still, Yuki was thankful for her friend's reassurance. "Thank you, Jun-chan." She still had no intention of conveying her feelings. "Anyways, I'm getting tired, so..."

_"Okay. You're taking your medicine like you should, right?"_

"Yeah, you don't have to worry. I'm watching myself."

_"When's your next appointment?"_

"Jun-chan," she sighed, exasperated. "I'm really tired."

_"...okay. I get it. Good night, then, Yuki."_

—

The day had been overcast from the moment she stepped outside that morning. And the weatherman had, for once, accurately foretold that rain would be coming their way. She had not expected it to be quite so heavy. In her haste to leave in the morning – having nearly overslept – Yuki had completely overlooked the necessity of bringing an umbrella.

Long after most of the other students had hustled out, Yuki lingered just inside the door of the front entrance, gazing out. It wouldn't be a horrible thing to get wet, she thought. Even though her house was far enough away that she'd be drenched. Although, getting sick might mean—

"Forgot your umbrella?" A voice guessed from behind her.

Whipping around, she was surprised to see Kagami – of all people – standing behind her. "S-Shouldn't you be at practice?" she stuttered out. Her tongue felt strangely dry, almost like sandpaper. Ever since she'd had that conversation with Jun about possibly liking him, she had begun to feel more self-conscious around him.

"Cleaning duty," he said with a grunt. Obviously he wasn't pleased about it. "And we don't have practice today."

"O-Oh..."

"Live far?"

It was hard to swallow. She could see the umbrella he was holding in his hand. Was he going to suggest that they walk together? Her eyes averted to the floor. "I don't live too far, uh... I have a friend that I could call—"

"The one over at Shutoku, right? That's pretty far. Take mine." He extended it toward her without a second thought.

"Do you live far?"

"Nah, not that far. I don't mind getting wet." Was he offering it out of general concern? Or was it because she had mentioned that she had been in the hospital before? There was no possibility that he actually liked her or was being conscious of her, right?

Her heart was beating too fast and she could feel her cheeks heating up as she reached a hand to accept it. Then she thought better of it. "Um... what direction do you live in? Maybe we could share and walk together."

It was pure coincidence – a lucky one, at that, she thought – that they were able to end up sharing an umbrella. Granted that it was a snug fit, nearly pressed against each other at the shoulders as they ambled down the street together.

"Um, Kagami-san, I think your shoulder..." She had noticed it pretty quickly after they started walking. He had to hold the umbrella slightly off-center, making sure the rain didn't hit her. Unfortunately, his figure was broad enough that his shoulder lost protection. Yuki could see that the rain was already soaking right through his uniform.

"Huh?" Maybe he was preoccupied in thought again. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. "Just a bit of water."

Walking side-by-side, she found herself grappling for the words she wanted to say. What should they talk about? It had to be basketball, right? That was all he seemed to be interested in. "Uh, so... how is practice going? Your first match is coming up pretty soon, right?"

His grip seemed to tighten on the umbrella handle, and at first she thought maybe she had stepped on a landmine because he was silent. But then there seemed to be a fire blazing in his eyes as he clenched his jaw before speaking. "Yeah, I can't wait – I'm going to beat them all."

Yuki smiled at him as she reached up to tuck a few flyaway strands behind her ear. "You're an amazing person, Kagami-san. I don't know how many people can see a mountain before them and just decide that they're going to climb it no matter what. Isn't it scary?"

He laughed at that part. "Nah, it's just excitin'. I get pumped just thinking about it."

"You don't worry that you'll fall flat?"

"That won't happen," he said instantly. But then, he took a moment and seemed to mull over her words before adding, "If it did, I'd get right back up."

There was something about him that wasn't all ego and arrogance. He had talent, she already knew that. He wouldn't have come as far as he had if he hadn't been talented. Yet there was something more to Kagami than that – an inner strength that she envied with every fiber of her being.

"Oh, that's my house right over there." They approached the front gate together and paused there. Yuki turned to him and stared up at him for a few moments. "Um, Kagami-san, do you mind bending forward a little bit?"

That request did seem to strike him as odd, because he was instantly puzzled. "Huh? What for?" he asked, even as he complied and bended toward her, compensating for the great height difference between the two of them.

She leaned up on her tiptoes and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. Almost simultaneously, blood raced to her cheeks. Flushing bright red, she immediately scurried in through the gate without looking back at him once. "See you tomorrow, Kagami-san!" she called back as she raced to her front door, leaving the dumbfounded basketball player behind.


	3. Three

**Author's Note:** I had been hoping to update sooner, but my good intentions never seem to amount to much. ;A; Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this new chapter! And thank you so, so much for all the wonderful reviews.

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**Chapter Three**

"What did the doctor say?"

Her mouth curled in dismay as she came out of the office. Jun was loitering in the waiting room, pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. Yuki gave a sigh. "Why are you here? I thought my mom was supposed to—"

"She couldn't get the time off, so she asked me to come here and see how it was going," Jun answered immediately, arms crossed firmly over her chest. "So? What did they say? Don't lie to me. Your mom is going to call later anyways."

There was something infinitely frustrating about being treated like a helpless infant by everyone. And Yuki could feel her anger flaring in response to Jun's uncompromising tone. It took great effort to try to calm herself before she answered. "I'm fine to return to school." That much wasn't a lie.

"And?" Jun encouraged, the tone of her voice strained with severity.

"They just said not to stress myself out and take it easy." Yuki supplied a weak smile with her words, as though it would assuage her friend's discomfort. Taking a step toward Jun, she pressed her hand into the other woman's, threading their fingers. "Come on, you're going to take me to school since you're here, right?"

Those dark irises studied Yuki's expression. "Are you sure you should be going back? You could take the day off and rest. It might be better for you. There's no need to push yourself."

Ignoring that comment, Yuki started for the doors of the clinic and dragged her friend along. "Come on, come on," she cooed. And despite her initial reluctance, Jun seemed to acquiesce. The two of them walked together, hands linked, and made their way back toward Seirin.

"Should you be walking this far?"

"Jun-chan," she said with a sigh.

That was always Yuki's warning. And Jun clearly knew the meaning. _Don't press it any further. Just let it go._ Those were the unspoken words behind her tone. So the conversation took a slight turn. "You seem to be pushing yourself more than usual. It isn't... I mean, you're not pushing yourself because of that basketball player, right?" Her voice hitched at the end of the sentence, as though Jun feared she already knew the answer.

Yuki's lips creased as she squeezed her best friend's hand. "I'm not pushing myself for anybody. I just don't want to give up. So I am doing this for myself." Peering over at Jun, she noticed that the dark-haired woman was wearing a glum expression, so she nudged her in the side with an elbow. "Don't look so gloomy. I'm not going anywhere."

"Sometimes I dream... and in that dream, I'm always ten steps behind you. And you just keep walking." Jun's throat tightened and she paused to swallow, seeming to struggle with the words. "I keep calling after you, running after you... but I can never reach you. I'm afraid, Yuki."

A prickle of tears started at the corner of Yuki's eyes but she forced them back by smiling. "It's just a bad dream. I'm not leaving you, and even if I did, you would be okay, Jun-chan. I know you would. You have other people to support you now."

Seeming to have sobered some, Jun gave a considerate nod in return. "It's okay. You said you're not going anywhere. I trust you."

Those words pricked at Yuki's chest as guilt washed over her. She averted her eyes, not wanting Jun to catch the expression on her face. What she was saying was not an outright lie – it was her optimism, her hope. But it wasn't... the truth.

—

It was a rare thing for her to linger in the library after school, idly flipping through the reading she had missed for English in the morning. Her eyes traced the words but they never really registered in her mind. Her thoughts were elsewhere – with him, as they usually were anymore. It had been a short few weeks but Yuki would be lying if she said she wasn't somehow... enamored.

Staring out the window, she realized it was starting to get late. Shutting her book with a resounding bang, she quickly stuffed it into her bag before starting out the door. Yuki gave the librarian a passing smile before making her way to the hallway.

Basketball practice would be long over, she knew. And she had been loitering in hopes of leaving at the same time it ended – that she might walk home with Kagami again. It was a vain hope, certainly. She smiled sardonically to herself as she thought that, slipping her inside shoes off and trading them for her loafers.

It was quieter outside than any other time she had walked home. The silence was peaceful and she found herself grateful for the muted echo of her own footsteps in the background. It was like a steady, guiding beat.

But she could feel her breathing strain a little bit, a cold sweat sweeping over her. Somehow her skin felt feverish – clammy.

Her feet were beginning to slow and drag. Yuki found herself pressed against the fence of a nearby house, sinking down to her knees. Breathing was starting to get difficult, and she found herself hunched over her school bag, one hand pressed to her chest and the other fumbling with the latch, trying to pull the bag open.

"Yuki...-san?" The _-san_ part was added hastily, as though he had belatedly realized how informal and personal it sounded to address her solely by her first name.

She knew without looking that it was Kagami, though she wasn't sure why. Why, of all people, did he have to be the one that saw her like this? Had she been wrong? Maybe basketball practice had just let out and he was just _now_ heading home. What poor timing. This was not what she had in mind when she thought of the two of them walking home together.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder as he crouched beside her. "Are you okay? Should I get a—"

She reached for his hand, her fingers curling like a vice as she clung to him. "My bag," Yuki rasped out with difficulty, her face contorted in anguish and her voice strained by the pain, "Pill... bottle."

Understanding her words, he rooted through the bag in a hurry, finally withdrawing the object she had requested. He struggled to open the lid for her before dumping a few of the white pills into his cupped palm. Holding it out toward her, he waited expectantly.

She plucked one up and popped it into her mouth, forcing it down her throat. Tears had sprung up in the corners of her eyes as she curled in on herself, sitting in a fetal position. A few agonizing moments passed in which she rocked back and forth, eyes snapped shut. The world was closed to her, and the only thing that grounded her was the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers.

Yuki still felt the sensation as though the entire world was spinning. It seemed like she might fly away, as though gravity wouldn't hold her. It was a sickening, nauseating sensation. But the hand that clamped down on her shoulder brought her back. Blinking away the tears, she peered over at Kagami. She had never seen that expression on his face – he was worried about her, concerned.

"Are you okay?" He immediately realized the absurdity of the question. _Of course she wasn't okay._ "I'll go get—"

Just as he moved to stand, she yanked him right back down – with strength she didn't even know that she had. "Please... don't."

"Ha?!" He growled back, as though annoyed she would even suggest it was _unnecessary_ after the episode she just had.

"I'm begging you, Kagami-san. Please..."

Although he seemed liable to object, the pleading seemed to weaken whatever resolve he had. And eventually he breathed a quiet sigh. "Fine. But at least explain it to me." That condition was fair, as much as she didn't like it.

Once she was sure that he wouldn't flee to seek help for her, she eased her grip and finally released him completely. Taking the pill bottle back from his hand, she cradled it in her palm, studying the label on it as she thought of the words to say. "There really isn't much to tell... just... I have a weak heart. So sometimes this happens." She lifted her gaze to look into his face, startled by the skeptical look he was giving her.

"And?"

Most people had always taken those words at face value. It was something that "just happened." They had let it go there, dismissed it. Most of them would drift away from her after that, uninterested in dealing with someone who had health problems and clammed up every time the subject was broached. Yuki was always the type to hold it in – she didn't want people to worry. She was _sick_ of them worrying.

The concern Kagami was showing her, however – it didn't seem... insincere. And he had already agreed not to blab unnecessarily. Maybe he was... different? Yuki did not dare hope for as much but she found herself smiling despite that.

"The attacks have gotten worse recently. But I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. I'm taking the proper precautions—"

"Like that medicine?" He interjected, pointing to the bottle.

Yuki nodded. "Yes, like this medicine. So, please... not a word to anyone."

"It's your business," Kagami agreed, sounding reluctant, if not begrudging. He suddenly stood up, extending a hand to assist her to her feet as well.

Grateful for the gesture, Yuki accepted it, pulling her bag up along with her. She had already stuffed the bottle back inside. "Thank you, Kagami-san. I appreciate it." The color was already beginning to return to her face, though beads of sweat still lingered on her brow.

"By the way... Yuki...-san." Suddenly the air turned awkward and he had his gaze turned elsewhere, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. It almost gave the impression that he was nervous, though she knew better than to think that about Kagami. He was always passionate, always thinking about basketball – whether that was good or bad.

"Yes?"

"Kiss..." Was he... was that a blush on his cheeks? "What was that about? That kiss, the other day."

"Kiss?" she echoed back, as though she didn't understand the question. Gradually, however, the image rolled through her mind like a broken reel of a film and she felt her face heating up as well. "Oh, u-um, the... that."

"Yes, that." He was staring at her hard. It would have been more intimidating if he didn't look embarrassed beforehand when he had first made his query.

Yuki smiled shyly back at him. "It's because I like you." The words should have been harder to find, should have been more difficult to say. But they rolled off her tongue far too easily. The few seconds of silence afterward were the most painful. Especially when she saw the transformation of his expression – he looked almost... guilty.

"I'm not really—"

"It's okay. You're going to say you're not interested right?" She didn't wait for him to respond before she continued, "I know. I know that you're only thinking of basketball right now. So I'm not asking you to return my feelings."

His shoulders, which had previously been tense, seemed to relax with that information. His hand dropped back down to his side. "Okay." The answer sounded a bit hollow, but she could see that he felt more comfortable this way.

Even though she had prepared herself for such a reaction, the sting of rejection proved more painful than she had ever thought. She wanted to cry, honestly. Where she hadn't let herself cry over her condition, had never shed the tears of frustration that had built up over the years, she now felt like letting them pour out over the goofy, basketball-loving moron in front of her. How silly.

"You like watching basketball, right?" he suddenly piped up.

"Y-yeah...?"

As though suddenly feeling shy, he rubbed his thumb over the tip of his nose as he mumbled, "You can come to practice and watch us. Any time you want."

Her whole face lit up and she couldn't hold back the peal of laughter that came out. "Really? I'm happy that you would invite me. I'll definitely come and watch. I really like watching you play, Kagami-san. You look like you're flying on the court."

"Flying?" He seemed a little shocked by that exaggeration. "Well, maybe my jumping is pretty good..."

"It is," she agreed wholeheartedly. "I wish I could do that. I've always wondered how it feels to fly through the air like that, to be able to dunk a ball. I can't even shoot one. It must be really exhilarating. I can see why you love it."

"You want to dunk?"

"Well, it would be really neat, but..."

"Come to the gym tomorrow after school." He suddenly turned and started running – though she wasn't sure where he was speeding off to. "Don't forget, Yuki...-san!" Again he remembered to tack on the _-san_, however belated it was.

Yuki smiled after him, waving.


	4. Four

**Author's Note:** Wow, thank you all for the reviews. ;A; I really appreciate the support and amazing feedback. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry for being a bit slow in getting it out!

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**Chapter Four**

There was always something about basketball that captivated her – the squeak of sneakers on the court, the steady beat of the basketball. The flex of tendons and tightening of muscle under skin. Maybe the most fascinating part was watching them fly from one end of the court to another, sweat glistening off their bodies. Yuki wasn't sure there was anything else quite like it – and she admired the players, because of their ability to do something she would never even be allowed to try.

"Oi, Yuki-san."

Somehow he was starting to get more accustomed to being formal, although it still seemed to come out oddly on his tongue. She grinned back at Kagami, her teeth peeking out from behind her lips. "Sorry, I was spacing out watching you guys play. Is practice already over?"

"Yeah." He was still breathing heavily, beads of sweat trickling down his face. It was clear that Riko – their coach – had gone to great lengths to make their practice as productive and strenuous as possible. Even Yuki was in awe.

"Your coach is like a slave driver."

"Don't let her hear you say that," he chirped back, looking almost panicked – gaze sweeping across the empty court, as though he was afraid Riko might pop out of nowhere.

She chuckled at the display, pressing a hand over her mouth to hide her amusement.

That expression of his softened into a smile and he reached a hand over to pat her on the head. Although he didn't say anything, there was something in his eyes that made her think she could tell what he was thinking. _It's a relief to see you smile after how bad you looked yesterday._

All of a sudden Kagami kneeled down in front of her. "Climb up on my shoulders," he said.

Flabbergasted, she stared at him with her mouth agape. "W-What?" The word came out in a quiet gasp, though she nearly wanted to shout.

"Hurry up," he urged impatiently.

Maybe it was because she had gradually come to implicitly trust him, but Yuki reluctantly lifted herself from the bench and edged around him. It was awkward – her tiny frame trying to climb over his hulking body. She was furious trying to hold her skirt down after slinging her legs over his shoulders, when he suddenly shot up through the air.

A scream peeled out of her lips as she literally clung to his head, arms wrapped around his face and obscurring his vision. Yet Kagami only laughed at her reaction and started moving – despite his inability to see. Yuki quickly noticed this and instead tangled her fingers in his hair, which earned her a quiet grunt.

"Y-you're going to d-drop me!" she squeaked, maintaining a firm grip on his hair.

"Here."

Eyes half-closed, she squinted to see what it was that he was holding up. It surprised her but – he was cradling a ball in the palm of one hand, just beside his head.

"Take it."

Taking a shaky breath, she obeyed. The ball seemed much too big for the tiny hands that held it. Although she was more concerned about how high up she was. She had always thought Kagami to be monstrously tall, but sitting on his shoulders made _her_ feel like some kind of giant_._ And she had to hold back a scream every time they took a step forward, the basketball now wrapped tightly in her arms and resting just on top of Kagami's head.

"Here. Now you can dunk."

It took a moment for her to register the meaning behind those words. And when she looked up, she saw that the hoop was within reach – for the first time in her life. It took her even longer, however, to realize that Kagami had planned this out because of their conversation yesterday.

_"You want to dunk?"_

_ "Well, it would be really neat but..."_

"Are you crying?"

The sound of his voice brought her back to reality. "Huh?" She didn't realize it at first, but he was right. The tears were trickling down her face, and even as she wiped them against her sleeve, they continued to pour. Strange, she thought, because she had always been able to hold them back before. "Thank you, Kagami-san..." The ball felt so light in her hands as she lifted it, pushing it over the side of the metal rim. It hovered there for a moment before she heard the swish of the net and the subsequent thunk of it hitting the ground.

"Hold on tight."

"Wha—whoa!" Almost as soon as he had said that, he hadn't even waited for a reaction from her. She wasn't sure where they were going but it seemed like they were flying across the room. Everything around them was spinning into a blur, and she shrieked at first. Fear was coursing through her. She had already snapped her eyes shut. Her worst nightmare seemed realized when she felt a momentary weightlessness as she left Kagami's shoulders. She braced herself for the impact – it would be hard enough to knock her unconscious, surely. Except she landed on something incredibly soft that nearly bounced her right back into the air.

"Haha, the expression on your face!"

Her face flushed as she realized she had been thrown against the mats that were pushed to the far corner of the gym. "That's not funny!"

"You wanted to go flying." He grinned, arms crossed over his chest.

Although her tone had given the impression that she was mad, Yuki couldn't help but smile back at him. She had already said it once, but it seemed necessary to reiterate. "Kagami." His name rolled off her tongue easily, absent of an honorific this time. "Thank you."

"It's embarrassing if you keep thanking me like that," he complained quietly, scratching at the back of his head. There was a subtle blush creeping up on his cheeks. He made a point of turning away from her to try to hide that, though.

"Do you want to walk home together?"

The change of subject seemed welcome. He gave a short nod. "Yeah, we can."

Although it meant she had to wait him to get changed in the locker room, Yuki didn't mind. She loitered outside of the gym until he emerged, back in his school uniform. The two of them walked side-by-side, heading out of the gate. The grounds were largely deserted by this time. The sun was starting to sink back into the horizon.

"You coming to watch tomorrow?" It was idle banter, she was sure. Kagami probably held very little interest in whether she attended or not. Or maybe she was wrong – perhaps he enjoyed having an audience to show off to. That cheesy grin of his seemed to imply the latter.

"Not tomorrow," she conceded reluctantly. "I have to go to a doctor's appointment after school, so I won't be able to make it."

"Oh."

The attempt at conversatoin ended prematurely. Maybe because she still felt the embarrassment from their earlier interaction. It had seemed so innocent at the time, but she remember how his shoulders had flexed under her, how he had seemingly carried her weight without any difficulty. Her heart had been racing the entire time, though she hadn't said anything. Yet while she caught the occasional blush heating up his face, he seemed largely unaffected.

"Who is that?"

Kagami had stopped a few steps back, and she'd had her gaze turned to the ground, not noticing her surroundings. The sound of his voice prompted her to look up – at which point she realized Jun was loitering at the front gate of her house, back turned in their direction. "Oh—Jun-chan!" She took off running toward her best friend without pausing to explain.

The sound of Yuki's voice alerted Jun, and by the time the shorter girl had made her way over, Jun had turned around. The impact of Yuki literally crashing into her arms sent Jun stumbling a few steps backward, laughing at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Jeez, that hurt," Jun choked out, her arms wrapped around Yuki despite the complaint. "I should call you Chibi-Rocket the way you launch yourself at me. It's dangerous, you know? I could fall and be seriously injured." There was a joking tone to her voice.

"Pfft, Jun-chan is like a mountain. I don't think anything could push you over."

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the moment and Yuki could feel Jun tense. The arms that were cradling Yuki seemed to tighten a bit, holding her almost protectively. "You must be Kagami-san. I have heard a lot about you from Yuki. You're on Seirin's basketball team, right?"

"Yeah. You must be the guy from Shutoku." Kagami's voice carried two distinct emotions – one was excitement, which Yuki recognized. The other was something else entirely. Hostility? No, that seemed unlikely. He was always looking for a prospective challenge – and never in an aggressive way. But this seemed... different.

"Um... thanks for walking me home, Kagami-san. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Yuki extracted herself from the embrace with Jun and waved awkwardly to him. She grabbed for Jun's wrist and tried to drag the other girl along, but Jun was frozen in place.

"I'd like to talk to Kagami-san for a few minutes. Go on in without me. I'll be there in a minute." The smile that Jun gave her should have been reassuring, but Yuki could feel her stomach twisting in knots. Her hand was trembling, grasping at the fabric of Jun's jacket. "It's okay, I'm not going to get into a fight," Jun whispered, seeming to sense her friend's unease. She slowly peeled Yuki's hand away and shooed her inside the gate.

As soon as the red-haired girl had disappeared and the sound of her footsteps faded as she entered the house, Jun turned around to face Kagami. "Are the two of you pretty good friends? She talks about you a lot. I was worried she'd have problems making friends at a new school but I'm really relieved. You must be close if you're walking her home."

"You know who I am. But who are you?" He cocked his head, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Oh, right. I figured she told you about me—"

"She didn't."

There was an edge to his voice, Jun realized. "Hachioji Jun." Obviously Yuki had not betrayed her gender; he seemed to regard her as a man. "I'm Yuki's childhood friend. Don't do something stupid like getting jealous, please. It would look _really_ ridiculous. We're _just_ friends."

"Sure looks like more than friends," he muttered, only belatedly realizing the implication of her words. "And who's getting jealous?!"

Jun sighed. "Right, well, whatever. It's none of my business. But since the two of you seem pretty close, I thought it might mean something to her. You probably don't know it, but her birthday is coming up this weekend. I think it'd be a nice surprise for her if you showed up."

It was obviously something he didn't know – given how round his eyes went.

"Here is the info. I didn't think I'd run into you today but it was a nice coincidence." Despite the initial air of hostility, Jun offered a smile as she held out her hand toward him. A piece of folded paper was pinched between her fingers, containing the meeting place as well as the time for the party. "I hope you can make it."

"I probably can," he muttered, not sounding terribly pleased to have been invited by Jun, of all people. Kagami snatched the paper out of her hand and hastily stuffed it into his pocket before turning around, eager to leave.

"One more thing."

"What?"

Much to Kagami's shock, Jun sank down onto the ground, leaning forward into a formal bow. "Please... Please make sure you come! And please continue to be Yuki's friend. Please be there for her when I can't."

"Oi, oi! You don't have to prostrate yourself like that—"

Jun finally lifted her head, peering up at Kagami with a steely gaze. "She is really important to me. _Please._"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it! Just get off the floor."

Nodding reluctantly, Jun lifted herself back onto her feet. "Thank you, I'm trusting you."

He was obviously not used to dealing with people like her – it was too awkward. Kagami just clicked his tongue and turned to leave, deeming their conversation finished.


	5. Birthday Special

**Author's Note:** Per Aviantei's mention of seeing Kagami buy the present, I decided to write a small special! I wasn't originally going to include that in the story, but it seemed too cute not to. I'm really late updating this, by the way, because I was on vacation for a month and a half. Plus the HD on my laptop died, so that killed any intention I had on updating sooner. I hope you guys enjoy, **thank you so much** for all the reviews last time. I will try to update again in a week or less!

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**Birthday Special**

"Kagami-kun."

The sound of a familiar voice whispering from behind him caught him completely off-guard. The red-haired basketball player nearly shot through the air, his eyes round as saucers as he whipped around. "Kuroko," he snapped. Amazing how they had already been teammates for two months and the shorter man still managed to sneak up on him constantly.

"Why are you here." It didn't sound like a question, if only because Kuroko's voice was perpetually monotone.

"That's my line," he countered. In the first place it was unusual for Kagami to be strolling in the middle of town, hovering in front of shop windows and peering in. But it seemed even more unusual for Kuroko to be out doing the same. Kagami at least had a reason.

"Taking a walk," Kuroko said finally.

"Same here," Kagami lied, a subtle blush coloring his cheeks. He was a little embarrassed to admit that he was feeling a bit panicky about Yuki's birthday coming up. He had never put any thought into what to get someone for their birthday, let alone a girl. The only thing he knew about was basketball.

"Kagami-kun."

"What?"

"If you're taking a walk, why were you pressing your face against the glass of a jewelry store?"

It didn't take keen perception to realize that Kagami was making an excuse to begin with. But it was even more glaringly obvious when Kuroko pointed this out. Exasperated, the red-haired man slammed his hand down on the top of the head of his shorter counterpart. "Hey, Kuroko... what should you get a girl for her birthday?"

There was a moment of silence, in which Kuroko blinked several times, the apathetic expression on his face never changing. And then finally his lips moved as he said, "Weren't you going to get jewelry?" It was the obvious thing to say, considering they were standing right outside the store.

However, Kagami couldn't get over the thought that Yuki wasn't exactly the jewelry wearing type. Wasn't it presumptuous and typical to buy her something like that? It seemed too obvious. And somehow, he thought he would be uncomfortable giving her a present if it wasn't a thoughtful one – especially with Jun's judgeful gaze on him.

"Let's go in."

The inner conflict was still raging within Kagami's mind, but Kuroko's prompting was enough to coax him to follow. He had to admit to feeling uncomfortable; he had never entered such a grandiose shop before. And the moment stepped in, he found one of the workers staring him down.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh—I—"

"Just looking," Kuroko interrupted his taller friend's stuttering.

That was a relief. Kagami didn't need someone breathing down his neck while they browsed. He was already clueless enough about the appropriate gift to buy Yuki. There was a necklace that caught his eye, but he quickly changed his mind when he caught a glimpse at the price tag attached. "Too expensive," he grumbled under his breath several times.

He didn't even know what he was looking for. Maybe he was wasting his time and Kuroko's, too. Not having the first clue about what girls liked, or moreover what kind of jewelry Yuki herself would be inclined to wear—

Kagami saw it out of the corner of his eye. It was at the edge of the store – on a small rack of inexpensive necklaces and bracelets. Not as glamorous as anything in the display cases, admittedly. But he was sure that it was the one thing that would actually suit Yuki.

"Oi, Kuroko," he beckoned – unable to even spot Kuroko despite the fact that the store was largely empty.

"Hm?" As expected, the blue-haired boy popped up out of nowhere from behind Kagami.

"This... would be okay, right?" he asked awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head as he grabbed the necklace and shoved it in Kuroko's face. It was a simple silver pendant in the shape of a basketball, dangling from a thin chain.

"Kagami-kun... do you only think about basketball?" Kuroko guessed.

"Idiot, that's not it! She comes and watches us practice all the time.! She seems like she likes basketball, anyways..." His voice trailed off, as though he was suddenly unsure. When he had first seen it, it seemed like the perfect gift. But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if she might not think he got it because _he_ liked it.

"So it's for Yuki," Kuroko deduced – his face lacking any flicker of surprise that Kagami might have expected.

"Yeah..."

"It seems like something she would like." He could have had at least a little enthusiasm to support saying that – but instead his face was still completely blank. Even Kagami didn't feel very reassured by those words.

The price was easily affordable. He wondered if she might not think him cheap. Although, given Yuki's personality, he could already picture the delighted expression on her face when he gave it to her. That was enough motivation to head straight for the cash register.

"Would you like this gift-wrapped, Sir?"

"Yeah."

There was a triumphant grin on his face as he marched out of the store with Kuroko trailing behind him. Although the shiny pink gift-wrap made him feel a little silly, he was more concerned with Yuki's reaction to the present, anyways. And at least this way, Jun couldn't look down on him.


	6. Five

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I know it was super short, so I tried to update pretty quick. ;3

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**Chapter Five**

"You call this a party?" Kagami remarked dryly – not looking the least bit impressed.

It was only the three of them, crammed into a small karaoke room. A box of pizza sat on the table in the middle, several slices conveniently absent. The moment he entered, he noticed Jun making quick work of it, stuffing her face. It was only after she had managed to swallow a mouthful that she bothered to reply. "Well, what would you call it?"

"It's just the two of you?" He seemed shocked about that, for whatever reason. "Don't you have one other friend?"

"Oh, he's not—"

"He wouldn't come if he was invited, and I'd stab him if he stepped foot in here," Jun answered matter-of-factly, cutting into Yuki's attempt to pacify the situation. "Anyways, are you going to complain or are you going to eat with us?"

"This seems backwards, shouldn't you be singing?"

"I don't sing on an empty stomach," Jun answered.

_That's because you don't sing to begin with. _Yuki breathed a sigh, but she was smiling despite her exasperation with the two of them. She scooted over and patted the seat beside her. "You can sit here, Kagami-san. There is plenty of pizza. I only ate one slice myself. I didn't know you were coming until just a few minutes ago when Jun told me."

This was definitely not what he had been expecting, but the towering basketball player managed to squeeze in beside her. And no surprise that he wasn't the least bit bashful about taking up her offer. There was a grin on his face as he reached for a slice for himself. Food was perhaps the one thing Kagami liked _almost_ as much as basketball – given his insatiable appetite.

"Leave me one slice. I hope you can at least sing, Kagami."

"Can you?" he challenged back. Maybe he was competitive with more than just basketball.

Yuki stifled back a laugh at their banter. "You better not challenge him, Jun-chan. You know how bad you are at karaoke."

Jun seemed to sulk at that. "I know," she muttered. The only reason they ever came was because Yuki enjoyed it so immensely. (Although Yuki would always try to dissuade Jun from bringing her – it seemed selfish to come if only one of them enjoyed it.) _"I like listening to you sing, and it makes you happy. So it makes me happy,"_ Jun would tell her.

"While you two are eating, I'll sing, okay?"

"Go for it," Jun encouraged, while Kagami just gave a quick nod as he stuffed another piece into his mouth. It made Yuki happy to see that he didn't have any reservations around her and Jun. And she was happy to see how easily he fit in with the two of them – since it had _just_ been the two of them for the past two years.

The song she chose was a popular pop song, though she suspected her audience was hardly well versed on popular music. Kagami was pretty single-mindedly focused on basketball, and Jun wasn't much different. Still, she was relieved to see the smile on Jun's face that signified she was doing a good job singing.

Kagami, similarly, gave a nod of appreciation. "Not bad," he told her with a grin. "I didn't think you were the kind of person who could—"

"Yuki is better at composing music than singing it," Jun interjected. It might have seemed like they were competing to give her compliments, if not for the genuine smile on Jun's face. "You should see some of the stuff she's done at home some time."

"J-Jun-chan, I just did that stuff on my computer—"

"Oh?" Kagami seemed really shocked by this, most likely because her hobbies hadn't really come up in conversation between them. And why would they? She knew he was singularly focused on basketball. It seemed a waste to— "That's impressive."

Her cheeks heated the moment she heard those words come out of his mouth. Was he really complimenting her? Yuki averted her eyes to the floor. "Um, okay, so for the next song..." While she was busy glancing through the playlist, she noticed that Jun and Kagami had skipped to a different subject.

"We're going for cake after this. Are you up for it?"

While he could down a tray full of hamburgers, dessert did not seem to be quite as appealing for him – at least, that's what Yuki assumed given the expression he wore when Jun asked. But he still grinned over in Yuki's direction when he caught her staring. "Yeah, I'm not going to bail."

"Good, then you should duet with Yuki. Let's see those singing skills at work."

"Urk." He made a face.

_It seems like there is more in common between the two of them than basketball obsession,_ Yuki thought silently, trying to suppress her laughter. "It's okay if you're not up for it, Kagami-san. You don't have to push yourself—"

"What she means is, if you're too chicken to sing then stay away from the mic."

That seemed to annoy him enough that he took to his feet and marched over to Yuki's side. "Fine, if you want to hear me sing, you'll hear it, Curly."

"Curly? The hell is that nickname?"

"Your hair," he pointed out, as though it wasn't obvious.

"Okay, okay, let's just sing!" Yuki interrupted.

—

"Hachioji sure bolted out of there fast," Kagami complained. He had been sulking since they left the karaoke room, in large part because while his singing hadn't been as bad as Jun had anticipated, she hadn't acted as impressed as he had perhaps hoped.

_It took the wind right out of his sails,_ Yuki thought to herself in amusement. "It can't be helped, he said his teammate called him. I guess he has made new friends at his school. That's good." Except that, although she knew she should be happy, it was a little lonely. Yuki couldn't helping wondering just how important she must be if Jun planned this in advance only to bail out midway through. What could be _that_ important?

Maybe he noticed her looking depressed, because Kagami breathed reluctant sigh and muttered, "He didn't get a call."

"Huh? What do you mean? He said—"

He scratched at the side of his face, not looking at her. "I asked him to leave."

Yuki nearly froze in the middle of the crosswalk – which Kagami quickly rectified by grabbing her wrist and dragging her to the other side.

"It's dangerous," he warned.

"Sorry, I just... what do you mean? Why would you ask him to leave?" Her voice was tinged with desperation and confusion. More importantly than Kagami asking, why would Jun ever agree to that? It was not like her to—

The warm fingers that had been caressing her wrist suddenly brushed against the palm of her hand and then threaded with her fingers. "Come on, you still wanted to have cake, right? Hachioji made me promise to take you." He was tugging at her, trying to coax her along. But she could easily tell that he was embarrassed.

"If you hold my hand, someone might misunderstand," she said quickly, trying to extract herself from his grasp.

"They wouldn't be misunderstanding." He tightened his grip as he peered over at her. There was that cheeky grin, stretched across his face – the same one she had seen shortly after she first met him. The image was seared into her mind.

Yuki could feel her throat tighten as those crimson irises focused on her. She wanted to smile back at him, but she felt numb. "But I thought you didn't...?"

"I never said I _didn't_ like you."

Saying anything else seemed unnecessary. She gave his hand a squeeze before matching pace alongside him. "Yeah, let's get that cake." It was hard to look up at him, so she kept her eyes focused downward. Her heart was thrumming noisily – loud enough to drowned out the sound of passing cars and the chatter of passersby.

As they walked together, she eased up against Kagami, leaning her head against his arm. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she took a steady breath.

"What is it? You're not feeling sick, are you?"

"No," she whispered back. "I'm feeling okay." There was something infinitely comforting about being so close to him. The security of his presence was unlike anything that Jun could have ever given her. And Kagami didn't treat her like she was a porcelain doll about to break. Despite the concern in his voice, he believed her – and that was surely because he trusted her enough to think she was being honest.

"Is that the shop?" he asked suddenly. "I can't believe it's still open this late."

"We always come here every year and buy a cake," Yuki confided. "It's a tradition for me and Jun-chan."

"Really? How many years is that?"

"Hm... I guess, ever since I was about seven years-old? Well, I mean, my father took the both of us back then." It was very nostalgic, and she found herself pausing to reminisce before allowing Kagami to guide her inside.

The inside of the store was sparsely decorated – it was an old place, kept in good condition through great effort of the owner. The cake that Jun had pre-ordered was already waiting for them, contained within a small white cardboard box. Since it was already prepaid, they left rather quickly – Kagami carrying it for her.

"Where are we going to eat it?"

"There is a park just over here. We always sit on the swings and share the cake. You still have an appetite despite eating half the box of pizza, right?" She grinned at him mischievously, her hand still cupped around his.

Kagami clicked his tongue at her but didn't say anything more.

The only light in the park was a nearby lamppost that seemed to flicker occasionally. The darkness was something that Yuki didn't mind in the least. And she was happily swinging back and forth while waiting for Kagami to settle in beside her. He didn't seem to fit quite as well in the swings as she did – in part because he was so much _larger_.

"How do kids even fit in these," he complained.

"Sometimes I wonder if you were a giant even as a kid."

"I was a normal kid." Despite his protests, he cracked open the cake and passed her a plastic fork. "Your friend must really like cute stuff." He seemed to feel uneasy as he said that. Yuki understood when she came to a stop and peered over at the cake. The decorations were cuter than any of the years prior, a happy birthday wish scrawled on top.

"Doesn't it almost make you not want to eat it?" Although she said that, she leaned her swing toward him and stabbed her fork into the edge, taking out a bite that she quickly guided to her mouth. "I lied! It tastes really good."

He shook his head at her as he took a much larger bite for himself. "It's not bad." Clearly she was right on the mark earlier that he wasn't a big fan of sweets – his loss, she thought, because Yuki absolutely _loved_ sweets.

"You took a big bite for yourself, despite acting like it wasn't that good. I bet a can take a bigger bite than you." It was unusual for her to issue a challenge to anyone, but she was feeling playful. However, the bite she took was almost too big, and she nearly choked as she forced it down.

"Idiot. You have frosting right here, too."

"Huh? Where?"

"Here," he repeated, setting his fork down to reach over and wipe it away from the corner of her mouth.

"Oh! You have some, too."

"I do?"

Yuki grinned at him and reached over, pinching his nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Nope, I lied. I just wanted to tease you a little bit."

The expression on his face soured and she quickly released him, giggling all the while. He took the opportunity while she was laughing to lean close, his swing bumping again hers. Kagami craned his neck around the medal links and their lips connected. It was soft and warm – surprisingly sweet, too, though she suspected that part was thanks to the cake.

And when he leaned away, he was looking surprisingly sheepish rather than as triumphant as she might have expected. "Happy birthday, Yuki."

Her cheeks warmed into a blush. It took a moment for her to notice something was sitting on her lap that had not previously been there. A small package with shiny pink wrapping. When she peered back at Kagami, he seemed flustered and was avoiding her gaze.

"A present," he muttered finally.

Yuki smiled. "Thank you." Those two words could not quite convey her happiness. For the first time, she felt _truly_ fulfilled.


	7. Six

**Author's Note:** Alright, so this is officially _supposed_ to be the last chapter of 'Superior' - afterwards I will start posting a story about Jun that will be a sort of sequel to this one. (That story **will** include some more Yuki x Kagami moments in it.) But the friend that I made this for has a birthday coming up soon, so I would like to come up with one more 'special' for her for her birthday. So I will leave the story as 'incomplete' until then. (Her B-Day is Aug. 18th.)

Thank you all for reading, for all your incredible support && reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Yuki-san, you look pale."

Those words had caught her by surprise, if only because Kuroko had popped out of nowhere to appear in front of her. She nearly went reeling back on the bleachers, though he managed to catch her hand and help her steady herself. "Oh, my god, Kuroko-san. You're like a ghost."

"If you're not feeling well—"

"Huh? Something wrong with Yuki?" Kagami piped up from behind him, sneakers squeaking against the freshly shined floor as he approached. The taller man settled the basketball on top of his teammate's head as he leaned over to inspect her.

"I'm fine," she reassured with a smile. Perspiration was pouring down her brow, though. It was still technically spring – the heat should not have been enough to make her sweat so bad. Even she knew that.

"Come on you two, get back to practicing!" Riko chided from the other end of the court.

It was several days after her birthday, and Yuki had been faithfully attending every practice. It had only barely started today, though, and she was starting to feel nauseous. She didn't want to confide as much, especially when he was busy practicing. While their backs were turned, she had managed to sneak out a pill and take – that was usually enough. But she could feel a subtle pain in her chest. Dizzy – short of breath. She knew the signs.

"Hey, if you're not feeling good—"

"I'm okay." Her smile was strained, and her words unconvincing. "Please keep practicing. Your coach will get mad otherwise, right?"

Kagami frowned but he turned his back toward her and followed after Kuroko.

Her vision was swimming and she knew Jun would scold her if she knew. It was stupid – Yuki should have called Kagami back, should have been honest. But she hoped—no, prayed—that it was just another passing attack. It would go away, she assured herself.

At least until the pain that had been slowly creeping up on her seized her completely. She could hardly stay upright. Clutching at her chest, she hunched forward, her face contorted in pain. The sounds on the court seemed to be drowned out by the furious beating o her heart. But where before it had been because she was so excited to see Kagami, she was certain that this time... this time it wasn't for a _good_ reason. It was too painful.

_"Yuki? Yuki!"_

The voice sounded so far away, as though she was disconnected from reality. And everything around her had become an indiscernible blur. Was it because she was crying? Or was she that dizzy? It was all turning white, and the noise was gradually fading out.

—

When she came to, it was not to the hospital room that she had expected to find herself, but rather what she suspected was the school infirmary. In addition to which, she found her vision discolored with heavy dark spots that seemed to obscur everything. But almost as quickly as her eyes opened, she found a familiar face hovering above her.

"How do you feel?"

His voice brought her more comfort than he probably realized. And while her body felt a bit numb, she could feel the heat of his hand cupped around hers. "I don't think I should be running a marathon," she joked, "But I don't think I'll be dying any time soon, either."

"That's not funny."

"I know."

"Did you take your medicine earlier?" The nurse interjected, appearing on the other side of the bed.

"Yeah, I did."

The older woman gave a quick nod. She was middle-aged with smooth, regal features – she would have been beautiful if not for the thickly framed glasses she insisted on wearing. They did little to flatter the rest of her face. "I called your parents and they are on their way."

That brought on a sinking feeling, and she could feel her stomach drop. _I called your parents._ Yuki was hoping that it would never have to come to that. Yet realistically, she knew. And as she recalled the words the doctor had delivered to her during her last appointment, she blanched.

"Yuki?" Kagami ventured, sounding uneasy.

"I"m still here," she reassured quietly, despite grimacing. "Just really... tired."

"Is it okay if she sleeps?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You should rest until your parents get here," the nurse said.

Someone said something after that, though she wasn't sure who. It sounded like Kagami. She was too tired to really know. And a part of her hoped that she would never have to wake up – never have to return to the reality that she was born with an imperfect body. That she would always be weighed down by that fact, no matter where she went, no matter what she did. She would have to survive with that pain.

—

There was no mistaking the smell of antiseptic, the sterile white of the ceiling – she knew she was in a hospital the next time she opened her eyes. And this time the person holding her hand was most certainly not Kagami.

"I was worried you might not wake up," Jun said gravely, peeking up from where she had been slumped over on the side of Yuki's bed.

"Of course I'd wake up. I can't leave you alone."

Even those words didn't manage to coax a smile out of Jun, where they might have been able to in the past. Instead she just stared back at Yuki with a grave expression on her face, those dark irises half-hood as she settled back down against the mattress, still clinging to her best friend's hand. "Your parents stepped out to talk to the doctor. They'll come back in soon."

"What about Kagami-san?"

"Worry about yourself for five minutes, would you?"

Although Yuki understood her best friend's annoyance, she tightened her grip on Jun's hand. "Please, I just want to know."

"I forced him to leave for right now. He'll come back tomorrow."

"Why would—"

"You went to great lengths to hide the fact that your condition was worsening from me. I figured that you wouldn't want him to know, either. Not until your parents and the doctors had things worked out, anyways." There was a begrudging tone to Jun's voice. But although she was disappointed that Yuki would withhold that information, she wasn't the kind of person to stay mad for very long. Especially at Yuki.

Still, the sting of guilt was something that left Yuki grappling with the words to say – a proper apology, or at least an explanation that Jun might accept. "I didn't want to worry you." Those words rang hollow and she knew it. Maybe the real reason is that she thought saying it would be admitting that there was no hope.

"I always worry about you."

"I know," Yuki struggled to reply. The lump in the back of her throat made it difficult to speak. "Jun, I'm... I'm scared. I'm _really_ scared." The tears that she'd been holding back were starting to overflow. "I don't want to die."

"You're not going to die," Jun responded firmly. Her chair screeched as she stood up abruptly, crawling onto the narrow bed and pulling Yuki into her arms. "Your heart's still beating, so don't start panicking. You're _still_ here, and I'm not going to let you go."

Those words were comforting but not enough. Nothing was enough. Yuki sobbed into her best friend's chest, inconsolable. She cried in front of Jun like she could never cry in front of Kagami – because she didn't want him to know. Know that she confessed her feelings while knowing that her time was limited, and that she was terrified of the end. That the _end_ was coming.

—

He probably felt awkward standing there beside her bed. Maybe he was unaccustomed to seeing someone lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines – granted that all she had on her was a heart monitor and an IV drip. Kagami seemed to be looking everywhere but at her face.

"It looks like I won't be able to go back to school for a little while."

"I heard," he responded. "The homeroom teacher told us you would be absent for a while."

It was just after school, too soon for him to have made basketball practice. Yuki sighed to herself. "I'm sorry if I worried you, and that you had to skip practice to come here. But it's okay. I have my parents to look after me and Jun-chan so—"

"I'll still come to visit," he interrupted, as though knowing where she was trying to lead the conversation.

"Oh... I appreciate it. But don't feel like you have to, I'm sure I'll be leaving soon—"

"Will you really?"

It was difficult to swallow. She had expected it to be easier to lie to him. As easily as it had been to lie to Jun all those times before – to lie to _everybody._ But where the mask she wore belied no deceit to other people, Kagami seemed to read her like a book. Her expression faltered and she turned her gaze, afraid it would reveal everything. "No... I don't know when I will leave." She grasped at the blanket draped over her body, taking fistfuls of fabric into her hands until her knuckles turned a pale white. "I... I might not get to leave. I might never—"

His footsteps reverberated off of the empty walls as he stepped closer, reaching his hand out over hers. "Hey, Yuki... I always wondered. What is your name? The one your parents gave you."

Blinking back the surprise, she replied, "Fallon. It's... Fallon."

"How do you write the name 'Yuki'?" He averted his gaze as he asked. "I wasn't really paying attention when you wrote in on the board in class the first day you transferred..."

"The kanji for superior and standard."

"Wait, isn't that how you'd write it for a guy?"

She giggled at his reaction – the same reaction she got from everyone. "My mom cried a lot when I was growing up. 'I'm so sorry, I should have brought you into this world with a stronger body. It's my fault.' My dad thought that maybe it would give me the strength that I wasn't born with. So... that's why it's written that way."

"It fits you." He grinned and gave a firm nod. "Fallon... as I thought, it seems weird now that I've been calling you Yuki for so long. Do your parents call you Fallon?"

"Not anymore. I think everyone is used to calling me Yuki."

"Then... I want to call you Fallon." Even though it still sounded weird when he tried to pronounce it – heavily accented as it was. But Kagami was far more familiar with English and its pronunciation than anyone else who had asked for her real name before. And with a goofy grin, he repeated it over and over again, holding tightly to her hand.

It gave her hope – hope that she, perhaps, did not deserve. But maybe with the support of the people that loved her, she could make it through.

"Hey, Kagami-san—"

"Taiga," he interrupted. "You can call me Taiga."

"T-Taiga..." It sounded weird saying his name without any honorific. She could feel her cheeks heating up again, though she wasn't sure if it was because of that or what she was about to ask him. "Um, Taiga, would... will you kiss me? Do you... still want to, even though I'm...?"

Smiling back at her, he cupped her small face between his two hands. They were calloused and rough, yet gentle. "I still want to," he whispered, leaning in close. His voice was husky, and she could feel the warmth of his breath caress the base of her chin as he pressed his lips against hers.

It was only their second kiss, but it was even more meaningful than the first. He had accepted her, knowing that her time might be limited. And while Yuki knew that Jun would be insistent that the ending was not inevitable, Yuki had already come to accept it. It was alright if she didn't get to live a long life – the most important thing was to keep making precious memories with the time she had left. Because she would surely not forget these lips on hers, the hand cradling the back of her head, the fingers that were tangled in her hair, or his scent flooding her nose. _She would always remember._


End file.
